Playing with Headphones

[WeHuntKings]

So my neighbors hate me and I turning up louder doesn't drown out the sounds of my ceiling being bludgeoned in rebellion against my sweet toanz.

But the headphone jack on my amp is shit. Makes everything sound way terrible. Are there any cool pieces of gear you guys use when you want to play silently? I'm looking into some older line 6 pod stuff at the moment.

[01010111]

I like to plug straight into mixing boards because I'm a weirdo, and I also don't really use amp distortion. I think the ultimate would be to use that Kemper amp profiler:

[friendship]

I used a POD 2.0 until this fall when I upgraded to an HD. The 2.0 is still good though, and you can get them for pretty cheap. I was trying to unload mine for $50 a while back. Now it just sits on the shelf.

But yeah there's nothing like being able to practice at the small hours of the night.

[Grrface]

Heard good things about the Enabler, if you want something that can do a little more as well:

[rfurtkamp]

I just use the headphone out on my Mustang V head when I want quiet.

Modellers are your friend for this sort of thing.

[KaosCill8r]

I feel your pain. I was despised by my neighbors when I lived in the suburbs. They would call the jacks at any sign of noise. I had quite a few fines and eviction notices. Now its not a problem. I live on a large country block and couldn't hit the neighbors houses with a rocket launcher. Being able to crank the fuzz or bash the drums at 4am is awesome. Move out to the sticks if you can is my suggestion.

[blahquaker]

I use a Verellen Skyhammer preamp, through a cheap mixing board.

[goroth]

You want something with speaker simulation otherwise fuzz is going to sound brutal.

[GardenoftheDead]

Go buy a cheap USB interface like a Lexicon Alpha and get a good amp modeling software like Amplitube or Guitar Rig. GR is expensive, but the free version of Amplitube lets you access the custom shop so you can just get some of the better stuff for another $40 or so (I recommend the Triple Rectifier and Soldano SLO100 models with a Mesa cab).

Of course this being fuzz world, the free version of Amplitube comes with a Deluxe Reverb model that sounds decent with direct in fuzz.

If you want hardware stuff, the Line 6 POD XT series goes cheap. The X3 series is more expensive but sounds better, and being brand new the POD HD stuff is expensive but pretty damn good.

[sp3k]

The fender mustang amps are awesome for headphone use, and the software and amp simulation is nice enough, also it's the most noise free amp I've ever played. It's also a really great amp for practicing and recording. I have the mustang I and solved all my home playing problems.